Last Week's Moves: Dr. Squatch Casts Megan Fox, Netflix's Ad Biz Doubles, Ammunition Invests In The Next Gen

A few of the latest marketing moves are worth a closer look. Dr. Squatch decided the best way to fight ad fatigue is to stop making ads people want to skip, launching a six-part campaign built for sustained attention. Netflix revealed that its advertising business is growing at a pace that could make CTV buyers reconsider their media plans, with $3 billion in projected ad revenue and new targeting tools on the way. And Ammunition opened its wallet for something most agencies only talk about: real investment in future talent, funding a dedicated innovation lab at the University of Georgia.

Here's what caught our attention:

CAMPAIGN NEWS

Megan Fox, mad scientist: Unilever-owned men's grooming brand Dr. Squatch tapped Megan Fox for its first large-scale deodorant campaign, casting her as "Professor Fox," the head of the brand's fictional Foundation for Odor eXcellence. Across six ads running under the tagline Let Your Stick Do The Talking, Fox delivers the brand's signature mix of humor, innuendo, and product education, contrasting Dr. Squatch's natural ingredients against conventional competitors.

Chief Brand Officer John Ludeke described the approach as a deliberate departure from standard advertising playbooks, noting that creative fatigue sets in fast and most brands optimize under the assumption that audiences don't want to watch their ads. Instead, Dr. Squatch is building a multi-touchpoint campaign designed to sustain interest over time, with content spanning social, out-of-home, and e-commerce. It's a continuation of the brand's formula of pairing sex symbol star power (previously Sydney Sweeney) with self-aware humor aimed at modernizing men's grooming habits.

• Behind the headlines: Ludeke's comments about world-building over single-flight campaigns reflect a broader shift in how brands are thinking about creative strategy. For advertisers operating without massive media budgets, building a content universe with multiple entry points may be more effective than a single hero spot on repeat, especially on platforms where audiences scroll past anything that looks like an ad within two seconds.

AGENCY MOVES

Agency school, now in session: Independent agency Ammunition announced the establishment of the Ammunition Agency Innovation Lab at the University of Georgia, housed within Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication. The newly named space will serve students through Talking Dog, UGA's student-led full-service advertising and PR agency, providing a dedicated, agency-style environment for developing campaigns and building professional skills.

Ammunition Founder and CEO Jeremy Heilpern, who has served on Talking Dog's board, described the investment as a reflection of the agency's belief in the next generation of industry talent and its roots in Georgia. Construction is expected to begin this summer, with the space ready for Fall 2026.

• Behind the headlines: Agency investments in university programs are worth watching. They point towards where firms see long-term talent pipelines and offer students exposure to real agency workflows before they enter the job market. For the broader industry, partnerships like this one help bridge the gap between academic training and the pace of modern agency work, particularly as the landscape shifts toward integrated strategy, media, and technology roles.

AD TECH

Netflix knows your cart: Netflix reported in its Q1 earnings that its advertising business is on track to double in 2026, reaching an estimated $3 billion in revenue. The ad-supported tier now accounts for 60% of new sign-ups in countries where it's available, and the platform works with over 4,000 advertisers, a 70% increase year over year. Netflix also signaled that new ad products are coming throughout the year, including tools that will help advertisers assess the incrementality of their buys using Netflix's first-party data.

Starting in Q2, brands buying Netflix inventory through Amazon's DSP will be able to apply Amazon Audiences (targeting segments built from shopping, browsing, and streaming behavior) to their campaigns. The moves position Netflix as an increasingly serious player in the connected TV ad market, layering data capabilities onto a platform with one of the largest and most engaged streaming audiences in the world.

• Behind the headlines: The Amazon DSP integration is particularly notable. Combining Netflix's premium content environment with Amazon's purchase-behavior data gives advertisers a targeting combination that few other platforms can match. For brands already investing in CTV, the ability to layer real shopping signals onto ad placements in culturally relevant programming is a meaningful step forward in closing the gap between awareness and conversion.